Meetings
by L3ftOfCent3r
Summary: If you met yourself, what would you say? A possibility of what John and Rhoda may have experienced as they each visited "Another Earth".


_Nothing ever turns out exactly like you imagine it. You stare out the portal window of the shuttle, watching as the Earth you know grows smaller. You imagine what it will be like to see the people you already know as you're meeting them for the first time. You imagine what it will be like to meet yourself. What will you say? You imagine this newly discovered planet to be so much like your own that you forget that it is_ not _. You are an alien. A visitor. A tourist. You didn't think to imagine all the tests, the paperwork, or the month-long quarantine._ Oh, this planet is just like Earth, alright—every bit of the political headache! _When they are finally done with you, all the mysticism and excitement you had felt for this place has lessened. You're left feeling as if you have reached the end of a long road trip, and now, you're ready for home. And then, they ask you the question you've been waiting to hear all along: Where would you like to go?_

John Burroughs

The taxi pulls to a stop in front of a large suburban home and John stares at it, immobilized. His heart beats fast inside his chest in anticipation. _They're alive. They're here. Just inside those walls._ The cab driver impatiently clears his throat and John tears his eyes away from the window. He quickly pays the driver and exits the taxi before taking his first tentative steps towards the house.

John holds his breath as he knocks on the door.

"I'll get it, mom!" he hears the muffled shout just before the door opens.

The breath whooshes from John's lungs as he stares down at a slightly older version of his son.

"Dad, why are you knocking on the door?"

John gives a laugh and claps a hand over his mouth as he stares in awe. His eyes fill with tears that blur his vision, and when a little girl comes to stand beside his son, he almost doesn't believe she's real.

"Daddy," she says with confusion on her face, "You were napping."

John opens his mouth to say something, but suddenly, a woman appears behind his two children and he falls to his knees. Sobs rack his body as he stares through teary eyes at the family he had lost. The woman and children stare back until a man stumbles towards them, wiping the sleep from his eyes. The man who is the mirror image of himself freezes as he stares wide-eyed at John.

"Maya," he speaks to his wife, "Take the kids into the living room."

A silent understanding passes between the two men, and then, the other John steps forward.

"Let's get you inside." he says as he helps him to his feet.

The two Johns talk in the study, reminiscing on shared experiences and discussing unimaginable tragedy. Maya comes to join them and she sits next to John on the sofa. His eyes fill with tears as he looks at her and he tries to apologize. She silences him with a hug and its a comfort so familiar that he has to remind himself: _She's not your wife._ The other John doesn't seem to mind his wife's actions as he pours himself another drink.

"Mommy," the little girl appears at the door with her brother hot on her heels, "The movie is over."

"I told her to stay put, but she wouldn't listen!" the boy accused.

Maya smiles at John.

"Come inside," she tells the children and they enter the study, "This is John. He's from the other Earth that we've been watching on TV."

"Cool!" the boy muses he as crosses the room.

"John," Maya says as she gestures to her son, "This is—"

"Amos." John finishes her sentence as he stretches a hand out to the boy.

They shake hands as the little girl comes to sit on the other side of John.

"Do you know my name?"

He gives a sad shake of his head as he smiles down at her.

"It's Selah," she informs him, "And I'm four!"

John gives a laugh and it's filled with joy and disbelief and wistfulness.

"Come see my room!" Selah cheers as she grabs for his hand.

John looks at Maya for permission and she nods, smiling. Selah drags him out of the study, while Amos follows after them with a barrage of questions. They continue into the evening, playing games and sharing stories, but John doesn't tell the children about the accident that took his family.

They wind down in front of the TV and Selah falls asleep in his arms—the daughter he never got to meet. The other John comes into the room and tells his son to say his good-nights before he sends him to bed. Maya takes Selah from his arms and gives his hand a squeeze before the little family disappears up the stairs without another word.

"How about a night cap?" the other John suddenly asks, while he's already pouring.

John takes the glass he's offered and asks, "When did you start drinking?"

The other John gives a laugh.

"I guess that old adage is true," he says as he takes a seat in the chair across from John, "'You can lie to others, but you can't lie to yourself'."

John raises his glass to that and takes a drink.

"So what started it?" he asks again before making a wide gesture with his arms, "Your life seems pretty perfect to me."

The other John gives another laugh, only this time it sounds bitter.

"That's the thing, isn't it?" he starts, "The grass is always greener on the other side." The man shakes his head and tosses back his drink. "I'd finally got to a content place in my life," he confesses, "But after Selah was born things started to change. Maya and I—we—" The man gave a sigh and a shrug of his shoulders, "There's no spark anymore. We're like a pair of barely tolerable roommates."

John takes another drink as he reflects on the couples behavior. He realizes that there was a definite distance between them. For a moment, he entertains the fantasy of staying on this planet and taking-up with Maya again, but he shakes the thoughts from his mind. _Not your wife. Not your children._

John looks at the man who is the mirror image of himself and lowers his voice to a whisper, "Is there another woman?"

The other John swallows and slowly nods his head.

"She's an intern at Yale," he says with wistful smile, "She's in-love with outer-space. And with her, it's like—the world, the _universe_ —it all makes sense."

John tosses back the rest of his drink as he pictures waves of long blonde hair falling over soft, milky skin. A pair of deep blue eyes pierce through his memories, and for the first time since arriving on Earth 2, he feels like an alien on another planet. He feels home sick. John's grip tightens around the empty glass in his hand and he looks up at his other self.

"What's her name?"

Rhoda Williams

 _If you met yourself, what would you say?_ Her own question echos in her mind as she stands before the house she grew-up in. Only, it isn't her house and she's never even been inside. Still, she knows every room and around every corner and the place just under the potted plant where her parents keep the key. Rhoda walks up the empty drive and along the side of the house towards the garage. On her own Earth, there was a bench behind the house just beneath a red maple tree. It was a favorite thinking-spot of hers. Sure enough, as she turns the corner, the bench is there surrounded by a ring of fallen maple leaves. Rhoda sits down and runs her fingers over the wooden slats, feeling its familiar groves. She wonders again: _What will I say to myself?_

Then, she hears it, the tell-tale sounds of footsteps coming-up the driveway. Her heart pounds in her chest as she stands to her feet. She walks back towards the garage and stops once she's standing in front of it. The mirror image of herself is there, walking towards her with an arm stretched-out as she absentmindedly grazes the side of the house. She looks up. They see one another, but the other Rhoda turns around as if she'll walk away. Rhoda takes a step forward, tempted to call after her, but she doesn't. The other Rhoda turns around and they stare at each for an immeasurably speechless moment. Rhoda steps another step forward and her mind is racing with: _What should I say?_ "Hi" was an obvious first choice, but it didn't come-out when her lips parted to speak.

"What's your biggest mistake?" the other Rhoda blurts-out as she walks towards her.

Rhoda swallows as she considers the question and shifts her weight from foot to foot.

"I don't know," she replies as she takes notice of the other Rhoda's beanie-covered head and men's coveralls, "What's yours?"

The other Rhoda comes to a stop within reaching distance.

"I asked you first." came her retort as amusement tugs at her lips.

Rhoda sighs and begins to walk. The two women move together in the same direction like two planets on the same orbit. They sit down together on their favorite bench and Rhoda shrugs her shoulders.

"A man, I guess," she begins and the other Rhoda immediately stiffens beside her, "A married man. We've been seeing each other for about a year now." Rhoda looks at the young woman beside her and frowns. "Falling in-love with a married man should be a mistake, shouldn't it?"

The other Rhoda smiles sympathetically but makes no reply.

"It doesn't feel like a mistake, though," she continues, "When we're together it's like the universe is open to all sorts of possibilities. It feels—It feels like we're so close to something, you know?"

The other Rhoda flinches.

"What?" she asks, "What did you say?"

"We're close to something—like the making of a lasting relationship."

The other Rhoda turns to her with a look of desperation on her face.

"Did _he_ say those words to you?"

Rhoda gave a nod as she examines the young woman beside her, recognizing a similar longing in her eyes.

"Who said them to you?"

The young woman wearing men's coveralls looks down at her work boots and sighs.

"John Burroughs."

The name falls from her lips like the last winter's snow and Rhoda shivers. When her mirror image looks up to meet her gaze, she swallows, speechless.

"Only, he's not married," she confesses, "He's widowed. And I'm the cause of it. Four years ago, I killed his family while driving under the influence. I was a reckless teenager. Later, when I went back to apologize, I lost my nerve. I got lost in thinking that maybe I could make his life a little better, and in the process of doing that...he made mine."

The other Rhoda wipes away a tear and looks to her counterpart.

"Now that he knows what I've done I don't think he'll ever forgive me—least of all to continue a relationship."

Rhoda places an arm around the others shoulders and says, "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

The beanie-wearing Rhoda looks at her with a raised eyebrow. Rhoda smiles.

"If I know anything about John Burroughs, it's that he's always surprising."

Two Months Later...

Yo! It's your boy Flava. F-L-A-V-A.

So get this...

The scientists just launched a new

satellite into space. Yeah, fo real.

Another one. It's supposed to link

all communications with

Earth to Earth 2. You feelin'

me? Pretty soon we'll all be

texting ourselves. Flava, OUT!

Rhoda reached across the table to turn the radio off and she sighed as she glanced to the window, watching the high school kids through the opened blinds. School had just let out and now she had the nightly mopping duty to look forward to. The new kid they hired to replace Purdeep was useless—he no more knew what to do with a mop than soap and water. Rhoda looked towards the desk that used to belong to Purdeep. She really missed that old man. Suddenly, the door to the janitors station creaked open behind her and Rhoda dropped her face into her hands.

"Just go home, Jerry," she ordered him through a muffled voice, "I'll finish up."

She really had to tell the school something about this kid...

"Why would a MIT grad settle for a position as a janitor?"

Rhoda stiffened and she dropped her hands from her face. She turned on the bench to see the person who was standing behind her. John Burroughs stood before her, wearing a look of confusion on his face that wrinkled his brow. Rhoda stood up on shaky legs.

"I didn't settle for it," she said, "I requested it. How did you find me?"

John took-in a deep breath and paced the room.

"I went looking for you at your house, but you weren't home. Your brother, Jeffery? He said I could find you here."

Rhoda looked down at her boots, realizing that her brother had obviously told him more than that.

"You talked to Jeff." she stated, "Well, you found me, but...why were you looking?"

John stopped pacing.

"I missed you." he said as he turned to face her, "Even when I was over there, I was missing you."

Rhoda swallowed as she stared at him, momentarily taken-in by his words, but she was quick to shrug it off.

"What—they don't have cleaning services on Earth 2?" she joked.

John shook his head, unamused.

"You know it was more than that, and despite my better judgment, it still is." John moved towards her until he was just a foot away and she could feel the heat from his body. "I'm torn," he admitted, "Torn from wanting to be with you, to wanting to file a restraining order." John paused to brush a messy strand of hair out of her face. "How do I reconcile the two?"

Rhoda sighed and crossed her arms over her chest as she thought about it.

"Maybe you could call me sometime and say: 'Hey, you up for a video game?'"

John gave a laugh.

"You're terrible at boxing."

Rhoda smiled.

"See, it'll be a win-win for you."

John stared at her for a moment as the mirth disappeared from his face.

"What about you?" he asked, "You can't keep holding yourself back, trying to punish yourself for what happened. MIT? Really? Don't let that all go to waste because of a past mistake."

Rhoda shifted uncomfortably under his critical gaze.

"I won't," she promised as she looked into his eyes, "This is just for right now. Besides, cleaning can be very therapeutic."

John smirked as he watched her walk over to a mop bucket and being to ring out the mop.

"Well then, I'll leave you to it," he said as he turned to go. John found himself stopping at the door once the door knob touched his hand. "Hey, Rhoda?" he called.

Rhoda brushed back a strand of hair so she could see him. John smiled at her.

"If you're up for a video game later, come drop by."

A slow smile curved up the corners of her mouth at his offer and John left her with a parting grin. It was more than she imagined she'd ever get from him, and it was enough.


End file.
